Less Than Jake,
Mardo, Heavy Blinkers, Chevreuil, Versus the Mirror, Hailstorm & Charlotte
Kendrick
with Zane Ewton
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Less than Jake - I'm with the out Crowd
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The third track from Less Than Jake's new
album is called "Overrated (Everything Is)" and is an indictment of everything
useless and well, overrated in popular culture today. It is funny that
the band would deliver a song that calls out the current trends while playing
the same three chords in the same manner that ever other pop/punk band
currently attacking the airwaves with.
It is also funny how the band then flies
through an album of way too catchy and nearly perfect ska/punk/pop/whatever
music that would fit perfectly sandwiched between Green Day and any other
nameless punk band. It is too bad I'm with the out Crowd sounds
just like its smack in the middle of the in-crowd, pandering to everything
that is overrated in music right now. Yeah, too bad, since the album is
actually pretty good, nearly flawless.
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and Purchase This CD Online
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The Heavy Blinkers - The Night and
I are Still so Young
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This Nova Scotia-bred band provides their
biggest and best sounding album to date with the lush The Night and
I are Still so Young, a warm piece of orchestral pop perfection that
leans heavily on the Beatles, Brian Wilson and the Mommas and the Poppas.
The songs are almost too smooth though,
which is probably the product of studio anal retentive syndrome. The record
is sprawling at 12 tracks and the overall mellow vibe may put you right
to sleep. Unfortunately, the Heavy Blinkers don't have anything to really
set them apart, and while the music is technically quite good. There isn't
much of a hook to keep casual fans of orchestral pop coming back though,
unless you like songs similar to the theme to television's WKRP in Cincinnati.
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and Purchase This CD Online
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Mardo - The New Gun
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Mardo argue a strong case for their sleazy
rock and roll. Some tracks are reminiscent of Nazareth strutting around
"Hair of the Dog". The band can then switch gears and deliver a ballad
that Def Leppard could have turned into a massive hit back in '87. The
New Gun is such a promising record it even withstands an unfortunate
cover of "Papa was a Rolling Stone".
Mardo wears its influences on its tattered
sleeve but rarely sound like copycats. The New Gun is an old-fashioned
rock record with the right amount of sleaze and tenderness to please both
kids making out in the back of the car.
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and Purchase This CD Online
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Chevreuil - Capoeira
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Math rock? A little research shows it to
be an offshoot of the more familiar term of indie-rock. Odd time signatures
and syncopated rhythms create sounds rather than songs. Chevreuil are propelled
by the drummer, Julien F, who owes more to the classic rock drummers of
yore than any indie icon.
Steve Albini recorded Capoeira as
he has done for each Chevreuil record, with minimal interference. The band
can create some astounding noises but the basic moods and soundscapes fail
to take the listener anywhere. The tracks meander, usually falling into
a steady rhythm, sometimes breaking into a dirge. Tony C's guitar sounds
steal the show. At least if you can sit around long enough to hear the
whole thing.
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Versus the Mirror - Home
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Versus the Mirror would fit in quite nicely
somewhere on the second state at Ozzfest. Muscle up the sound a little
and their streamlined metal and hoarse vocals would blend into the same
wall of noise that permeates parking lots every summer on that tour.
Home might be a better album if
vocalist David Siebold stepped back from his Deftones scream and actually
sang a song. The tracks show promise with melodies, fine musicianship and
some influences from outside the metal world. The one-note, shouted vocals
just kill any semblance of emotion or variety that the music builds.
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Halestorm - One and Done
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A live EP of sorts. The female-led Halestorm
plow through five songs of mixed quality. The band has moments that demonstrate
what could become an exciting little rock band. The music consists of the
stop/start riffs that Helmet brought to metal and countless bands have
since stolen.
Vocalist Lzzy Hale takes too many solo
moments, particularly since her soulful yet run of the mill voice doesn't
quite match the rest of the band. Once Halestorm tightens up the screws,
expect to hear some good things from them.
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Charlotte Kendrick - I Get Stupid
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Looking for a sensitive singer-songwriter
ripe for a prime spot on the Lilith Faire? Charlotte Kendrick's I Get
Stupid blends the kind of citified folk that is reminiscent of Shawn
Colvin or that chick with the hairy armpits.
Kendrick's voice is plain and pretty. The
songs deserve the same description. Pleasantly non-assuming.
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and Purchase This CD Online
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